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* The Glass factory. *
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##¶#%*;-~. Several Centuries After It Had Last .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Finally, The Natural End Station For ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. And A Gift Shop. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... There'S A Long Time Since My Family ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Considered Poor. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Practical. On The Eastern Building, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Some Are Shattered. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Glass Of Varying Thickness. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ** ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ** ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. ------- * * ------- .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ** ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ** ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Other Building. The Contrast Is ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Windows Are Missing A Pane. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... However, The Greatest Difference Is The ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Lit From Behind. ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Of Dark Liquid glass. ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. ** .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ** ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ------- * * ------- ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ** ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. ** .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. The Levers, Messing Them Up. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Drop That Falls Toward The Factory .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Floor. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. The Last Of Him Rains Down. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Become Still. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. ** ** .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ------- * * ------- ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... ** ** ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ** ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Back At The Factory Floor, But The ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And .~-;*%#¶##
#¶#%*;-~.. I See There'S Something Faint Inside ..~-;*%#¶#
¶#%*;-~... Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ...~-;*%#¶
#¶#%*;-~.. ..~-;*%#¶#
##¶#%*;-~. I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. .~-;*%#¶##
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